Packing material for fragile articles



Oct. 1, 1957 P. M. WILLIAMS PACKING MATERIAL FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 16, 1953 IOI . uvmvrom Phili M.wiu.iAMs

Oct. 1, 1957 P. M. WILLIAMS 2,808,189

PACKING MATERIAL FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES Filed Nov. 16, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet2 INVENTOR. PHILIP M. WILLIAMS "ilnited States, Patent C "lice PACKINGMATERIAL FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES Philip M. Williams, fiakland, Maine,assignor to Keyes Fibre Company, Portland, Maine, a corporation of MaineApplication November 16, 1953, Serial No. 392,240

5 Claims. (Cl. 229-44) This invention relates to packing material forprotecting a plurality of closely packed fragile articles. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a means for securely packing andprotecting shipments of a plurality of disclike fragile articles againstdamage during transit and handling. Specifically, the invention relatesto a novel packing flat arrangement comprising two identical fiatmembers which are adapted to resiliently support and protect a pluralityof closely packed clay pigeon targets.

For the purpose of this application, I shall restrict my discussion ofthe invention in connection with the shipment of clay pigeon targets,but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative,and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Inparticular, it should be noted that the present invention is applicableto the packaging of a wide variety of disclike fragile articles, as forexample, saucers, dishes, bowls and cups. It will further be understoodthat the packing fiat of the invention is applicable to fragile,cylindrical articles, such as short fluorescent tubes, glass vases,lighting tubes, glass rods, and steel tubes of thin gauge. A main objectof the present invention is to provide an inexpensive andconvenient-to-use packing material for safely packing a number of claypigeon targets, or the like, in a self-contained compact package. Inparticular, it is an object of the present invention to provide suchtype packing arrangement which will serve to simplfy handling during thepacking operation, accommodate and facilitate handling of the packagesduring conditioning for transportation, as for example, packing in ashipping case, and present a pleasing and attractive appearance uponuncrating from a shipping case without requiring further handling. Otherobjects and advantages will appear from the description and claims whichfollow.

In attaining the objects of my invention, I generally construct mypacking material in the form of sheets of rectangular extent, andpreferably of slightly greater width than length. Each sheet comprises apacking flat and includes a marginal or end area supporting a pluralityof sideby-side abutment formations defining a limit position for aplurality of stacks or tiers of clay pigeon targets. The marginal areaincludes means hingedly connecting it with the main supporting area onthe sheet for the purpose of permitting bending or flexing of themarginal area upward from out of the plane of the sheet to a rightangledrelationship with the supporting area in which position the abutmentformations define limit stops for a plurality of aligned parallel rowsof clay pigeon targets which may rest upon the main supporting area. Thesurface of the main supporting area is contoured so as to provide aplurality of adjacent rows of axially aligned half-moon seatingdepressions for a purpose hereinafter apparent. Each of the rows isseparated one from another by means of a series of raised postsvertically rising from the surface of the sheet at the terminal ends ofthe half-moon depressions. The surface formations on the sheet are suchthat a plurality of stacked or tiered clay pigeon targets may be placedwith their peripheries in 2,808,189 Patented Oct. 1, 1957 contact withthe half-moon depressions in a single row with the leading or top targetin flush engagement with the abutment bearing marginal area. Like tiersor stacks of targets may then be placed in the adjacent rows ofhalf-moon depressions.

Thereafter, an identical packing flat may be placed, in invertedrelationship, over the exposed upper peripheries of the supportedtargets with the marginal end area of this second flat being reversed180 from the marginal area of the lower flat. Subsequently, thesuperposed packing flats with the interposed and supported rows oftargets may be firmly bound in a permanent union by means of anysuitable wrapping material, as for example, sheet cellophane.Alternatively, the overlapped flats may be inserted, endwise, into anopen ended tubular carton.

As a result of this construction, the several rows of stacked targetsbecome frictionally gripped Within the confines of the respectivepacking flat members due to the surrounding wrapping or carton wallswith the result that the strains and stresses encountered duringshipment and handling become transmitted to each of the rows of stackedtargets to react on each row as an inte-- grated unit as distinguishedfrom individual targets. It will be readily recognized that theprovision of means for uniformly distributing stresses and strains so asto prevent the concentration of the same upon any individual targetgreatly eliminates the chances of breaking or cracking the supportedtargets.

Having broadly disclosed the invention, reference will now be made tothe drawing describing a specific embodiment thereof and in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the packing fiat of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the packing flat along the lines 2-2of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a package embodying the invention, thispackage including a pair of packing flats reversed to each other, thesection being taken on a line corresponding to line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a pair of cooperative packing flats inassembled relationship in a supporting casing;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a pair of packing flats assembled about astack of clay pigeon targets, and

Figs. 7a and 7b are fragmentary plan views of a modified form of theinvention.

A preferred form of packing flat according to the invention isillustrated in Figs. 1 through 6, inclusive, of the drawings andincludes a substantially plane sheet of pulp molded fiber material whichis advantageously formed through accretion of pulp fibers by suctionmold ing the same from a pulp slurry onto a foraminous die. The formingoperation is a well-known one and preferably proceeds in a mannersimilar to that set forth in the patent to E. L. Shepard 2,585,049issued February 12,

1952. As will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 1' and 2, the pulpmolded sheet comprises a first main sup-' the ready bending of section102 from out of the hori' zontal molded condition to an upright verticalposition at approximately to the support or floor section 101.:

The end wall section 102 includes a plurality of raised annular abutmentstructures 104 for a purpose hereinafter apparent. Each abutmentstructure comprisesa series of ringlike ridges defining a craterlikeformation having a central floor surrounded by concentric annular ribs.Preferably, as shown in Fig. 1, the annular abutment structures areintegrally joined as at 106 in contiguous side-by-side relationship. Inthe present form of the invention, the abutrnents 104 comprise five innumber and are adapted to function as terminal stops or arresting ringsupon the folding of section 102 at right angles to section 101, and inwhich position rings 104 will be oriented to Contact the leading one ofeach series of separate rows, of tiered disclike clay pigeon targetssupported by floor section 101.

The supporting, or floor section 101 is arranged to provide a plurality,of adjacent seating rows equal in number to the ringlike abutments 104for the purpose of receiving andseparately supporting stacked arrays ofthe disclike clay pigeon targets. As shown in the drawings, section 101presents the target supporting rows in the form of a plurality ofaligned, but axially spaced, half-moon, seating impressions 103; whichhave a generally hemispherical contour as best seen in Figure 4 of thedrawings. The arrangement is such that the halfmoon cavities present awavelike appearance to the support section in a transverse directionwhile presenting ai plurality of independent seating and cushioningareas oriented into aligned rows longitudinally of the support section.The individual half-moon cavities are separated one from another bydeeper cavities of relatively smaller extent formed by a pair ofopposed, downwardly sloping cavity walls 111 which terminate in acentral flat floor 113. Each half-moon depression further includes arecessed, rectangular pocket 115 having a floor line lying in the planeof the flat floors 113. The arrangement is such that the deep cavities111, 113 and recessed pockets 115provide spaced supporting areas bothlongitudinally and transversely of the support section 101 forindependently suspending the several rows of stacked clay pigeon targetscarried in the individual longitudinal rows of half-moon depressions.

Each row of half-moon seating impressions is integrally united withadjacent rows by means of vertical posts 1.07 formingterrninuses of therespective half-moon depressions, the separate post in each row beingintegrally connected in axial alignment with adjacent posts by meansof-half-posts 109 constituting the terminuses of the deeper cavities111, 113. The present construction results in a plurality ofindependently sprung, seating depressions 103which are supported abovethe base line of the support section in such manner as to permitvertical and lateral flexure to a limited degree. It will further beapparent that the alternating alignment of full and halfposts, 107 and109, respectively, provides a stiffening and stabilizing actionobviating the usual lack of rigidity in large section molded pulp fiberpacking flats.

One of the unique features of the present packing flat construction istheobtaining of this substantial rigidity without sacrificing theflexibility of the support or its cushioningv action in absorbingimpacts, strains and stresses. Due to the unusual contoured formation ofthe flats, the rows of stacked targets are suspended independently ofeach other with the individual targets being packed compactly togetherso as to translate as a unit. This permits shocks and strains to becomedistributed evenly over the entire series of half-moon, seatingdepressions in a given row and provides a much greater degree ofprotection than heretofore provided due to the elimination of clashingbetween the individual targets.

In packing the clay pigeon targets according, to the present. invention,a pair of identical packing flats, formed in .themanner illustrated inFigs. 1 through 3 inclusive of the drawings, are placed beneath andabove a plurality of'adjacent rows of stacked or tiered clay pigeontargets, fen. supportingathe same inian integrated manner in asinglecpackageg Preferably, the packing of the clay pigeon targetsproceeds by placing a series of stacked or tiered targets which may bewrapped in any suitable covering, as for example, a cellophane envelope,in each of the supporting rows A, B, C, etc., of one packing fiat withthe ends of the wrapped tiers or stacks positioned to lie in the regionof the molded fold line and a terminal margin 117 at the opposite end ofsupporting section 101. With the targets thus positioned, end wallsection 102 is then folded vertically upwardly to bring the abutmentring structure 104 into endwise face engagement against the leadingfaces of the rows of supported targets. 7

Thereafter, an identical packing flat member is positioned over theupper surfaces of the targets, but oriented at 180 from the lowerpacking flat while also being inverted, to bring the half-moondepressions into surface engagement with the peripheries of the severalrows of targets in the manner illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of thedrawings. When so positioned, the end wall section of the uppermostpacking fiat may then be folded vertically downwardly towards theterminal margin 117 of the lower packing fiat and into frictionalabutting relationship therewith. Preferably, the end Wall sections ofthe respective flats are deformed slightly by pressing the same intotight abutting relationship against the leading and trailing targets andof the individual target stacks. This assures the obtaining of a verytight pack and permits the ring-lock abutment 104 to flex slightly witha consequent take-up of any looseness or play in the wrapped stack oftargets in each row.

If desired, the mating ends of the respective packing flat members maybe locked or sealed together as by means of Scotch tape, or the like.Alternatively, the terminal end 117 on the respective flats may also beconnected with section 101 by means of a molded flat line identical'tofold line 105 whereby the marginal end may be turned from the planeofthe supporting section to lock behind the underside of the respectiveend wall section 102 to positively assure a tight frictional fit betweenthe-respective'end wall sections 102 and the leading-and trailingtargets of each row. In such case Scotch tape orother adhesive bindingmeans may be applied to hold the marginal edge in locking engagementwith the end wallsection.

According to a preferred form of the invention, however, it is notnecessary to employ any independent locking or sealing structurein'conjunction with the overlapping packingflats. Preferably, as shownmore clearly in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the loaded packing fiat membersareadapted to be inserted into a rectangular, open ended carton 170,which will serve to retain the overlapped flat members in theirprefiexed, tight fittingrelationship. It will be appreciated that thecombination of an external carton structure in combination with theundulated supporting formations of the overlap packing folds serves tosupport and protect the plurality of rows of fragiletargets against allof the rigors of handling normally encountered in commercialtransportation.

In this respect it will be particularly noted from an inspection ofFig.6 that the spaced bearing supports afforded'by recessed pockets 115 andcavity floor surfaces 113, as reinforced by carton 170, result in acushioning action heretofore unavailable in the packing of a pluralityof small disc-like elements without requiring individual wrapping orcushioning means. This action is in effect supplemental to that providedby the half-moon depressions 103 and results in the obtaining of aduplex suspension in which vibrations transmitted to any one sectionor'portion of the tightly packed rows of targets will be quickly dampedwithout permitting the independent flexing or shifting of individualtargets. In this respect an-inspection of Fig. 6 will show that theindividual target elements in any row remain supported in anintegratedand united fashion, with spaced bearing depressions 103. It is believedto be obvious that an unribbed and relatively inexpensive carton such asthat of 170, as utilized in the present arrangement, could not beavailed of to provide a simplified sealing and cushioning arrangement inthe absence of the particular packing flat construction of the presentinvention. Preferably, the cartons 170 are formed from conventionallight-weight cardboard and are adapted to support two groups of overlapped packing flat packages in side-by-side relationship.

It is not necessary to employ separate external Wrapping means and forthis purpose the separate packing flats may include means providing aninterlocking function for securing two superposed fiat members togetherin fixed and permanent sealing relationship. In its simple form, suchlocking means can comprise a plurality of tab members integrallyextended from the free end of the end wall section 102 with appropriatecooperating slots being provided in the opposite free end 117 section101. With such an arrangement, the tab members on one packing flat willbe adapted to be inserted through and locked in the slots in theopposite terminal end of the companion fiat member. A preferred form ofsuch locking tab arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 7A and 7B of thedrawings in which the respective sections of each packing flat includesmeans forming the locking tabs and the locking slots in such manner thatthe same will become automatically interlocked upon positioning thepacking flats in the relationship illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of thedrawings. According to this form of the invention, the free terminal endof section 101 of the packing flat includes a pair of additionalhalf-posts 109 extending to the edge surface of margin area 117 in analignment with the second and fifth series of full and half-postslongitudinally of section 101. These additional half-posts includesloping side walls 111 which merge with the marginal floor 117 in amanner identical to the merging of side walls 111 with floor cavities113 in the main body of the section and present a pair of opposed slots119 in alignment with the marginal rim 117. At the other end of thepacking flat, end wall 102 is cut away in the manner illustrated at 120to present a pair of opposed locking tabs 122 and 124. The cutaway areas120 are located between the first and second and fourth and fifthabutment rings on the end wall section in order that each cut-away areawill be aligned with the extra raised half-posts 109 at the marginal endof section 101. With the above construction it will be readilyunderstood that the folding of the end wall section from the plane ofthe sheet to a right-angled position with respect to the support sectionin the manner shown in Figure 5 will present the locking tabs 122 and124 of each wall section in directly opposed relationship to the slottedterminal half-posts 109 at the marginal trailing end of the otherpacking flat in such manner that tabs 122 and 124 will enter slots 119to lock the respective flat members together in a permanent union. Itwill further be appreciated that the locking action may be obtainedthrough the simple expedient of pressing the respective flat membersinto tight, compact engagement about the interposed rows of targetswithout requiring any independent handling of the individual tab andslot means.

If desired, the integrated packages formed by the overlapped andinterlocked flat members may then be wrapped in a suitable paper, as forexample, cellophane, in preparation for shipment to retailers, whichcellophane-wrapped package is ready for display and sale immediatelyupon uncrating without requiring additional handling. In such case, theopen sided condition of the packages permits the ready inspection of thetarget contents without requiring unwrapping (see Fig. 4).

As many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope hereof, it is to beunderstood that my invention is not limited to the' specific embodimentshereof except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: a

l. A packaging arrangement comprising a generally tubular carton, a pairof packing flats positioned in said carton and each including an endwall section and a floored supporting section, said end wall sectionbeing oriented to extendat with respect to said floored supportingsection, said respective fiat members being inverted and rotated at withrespect to each other to define a contiguous tubular contour within theconfines of said tubular carton, each said end Wall section supporting aseries of annular abutment rings integrally formed therein, and eachsaid floored supporting section comprising a plurality of half-moondepressions oriented in spaced, axially aligned relationship inside-by-side rows with each row being in axial alignment with anabutment ring, said rows of half-moon depressions being integrallyconnected one with the other by a series of aligned, alternate fullandhalf-post members.

2. A packing arrangement as set forth in claim 1 in which saidrespective rows of half-moon depressions include recessed supportcavities defined by sloping sidewalls integrally depending from adjacentdepressions.

3. A packaging arrangement as set forth in claim 1 in which said eachhalf-moon depression includes a recessed cavity defining a supportingpocket centrally of the depression.

4. A molded pulp packing flat comprising a generally rectangular, flatsheet having two hinged sections, one of said sections having aplurality of parallel rows of halfmoon depressions, each of saiddepressions being of substantially the same size and shape and situatedin a common plane, the depressions in each row being separated from eachother by cavities extending below said depres sions and from thetransversely adjacent depressions in the other rows by vertical posts,said posts being arranged in rows parallel to the rows of depressionsand the posts in each row being separated from each other by halfposts,said half-posts also being arranged to separate the transverselyadjacent cavities from each other, and the other of said sections havinga series of annular abutment rings integrally formed therein, eachabutment ring being in axial alignment with a row of depressions.

5. The packing flat of claim 4 wherein each depression is provided witha centrally-positioned recess.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,397,539 Odell Nov. 22, 1921 1,846,561 Koppelman Feb. 23, 19321,960,279 Read 1 May 29, 1934 2,177,241 Burock Oct. 24, 1939 2,564,729Shepard Aug. 21, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 941,229 France July 5, 1948

